HALL, James N. (b. 1923) | Oral History

HALL, James N. (b. 1923)

Oral Histories

Advertising executive. His experiences as a P-47 Thunderbolt pilot in the European Theater during World War II. Basic training, Sheppard Field, Wichita Falls, Texas, 1943; primary flight training, Fort Stockton, Texas, 1943; basic flight training, Goodfellow Field, San Angelo, Texas, 1943; advanced flight training, Foster Field, Victoria, Texas, 1943; fighter pilot training in the P-47, Pocatello, Idaho, 1944; his voyage across the Atlantic to England, January, 1945; assignment to the 36th Fighter Group at Le Culot, Belgium, February, 1945; his first mission; his description of ground-air radio communications (Air Support Party); problems with target identification; interdiction of German communications and troop movements; German flak, flak traps, and flak trains; his description of the characteristics and capabilities of the P-47; bomber escort duty during the crossings of the Rhine River, March, 1945; aerial combat around the Remagen Bridge; his destroying a ME-163 on the ground; crash landings; development of the fighter-bomber concept; skip-bombing techniques; tank-busting techniques; occupation duty in postwar Germany; his postwar education and career.
Date of Interview: November 10, 1999

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